Ed Torres, a 36-year old Filipino, did not expect to respond to an emergency while on a plane, thousands feet high. He just did what he was trained to do – save lives when an opportunity comes, especially on an emergency case.
“We were on flight TOM 161 from Cancun, Mexico going back to Manchester in UK (United Kingdom),” Torres said in his email to abs-cbnNEWS.com.
Darren Smith suffered cardiac arrest while in the plane. Ed Torres, a nurse and a passenger, too, in the plane came to his rescue. With the help of a flight crew, Sharon Slater, formerly a nurse, too, the two attended to Smith to keep him alive.
Ed and Slater used an aicraft defibrillator to restart Smith’s heart. They stayed with him until the plane landed in Azores.
Torres became an instant hero for helping save the life of a fellow passenger, Darren Smith.
“My first reaction, scared. Kasi first time nangyari sa akin yun,” Torres said.
Torres went back to work at the Stepping Hills Hospital in Stockport after the incident, wondering if Smith has survived. He had no idea that Smith was recovering in the same hospital.
He and Smith were given the chance to personally meet. During their reunion, BBC News reported that Smith thanked him for giving him another shot at life.
“I have been in the UK since 2002 as a nurse. I just got a new job here at Stepping Hill Hospital,” Torres said.
His family back home, meanwhile, upon learning the news, praised his good deed and is very proud him.
“Nabigla kami nang mabalitaan namin. Di namin akalain. Natutuwa kami,” said his sister Jocelyn from Novaliches, Caloocan. She said she will transmit the news immediately to their parents in Camiling, Tarlac.
For his part, Torres had this to say: “I am so happy because I made my family, my friends, and the Philippines proud.”
From a report by Maria Aleta O. Nieva
